Genesis 41:31 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe.

NIV: The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe.

NASB: So the abundance will be unknown in the land because of that subsequent famine; for it will be very severe.

CSB: The abundance in the land will not be remembered because of the famine that follows it, for the famine will be very severe.

NLT: This famine will be so severe that even the memory of the good years will be erased.

KJV: And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.

NKJV: So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe.

Joseph has just interpreted Pharaoh's dreams (Genesis 41:1–7) as predictions from God: seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine (Genesis 41:25–30).

As part of his explanation, Joseph indicates the famine will be severe. The former years of abundant crops and herds will be critically reversed. The situation will be so bad that any prosperity seen during the good years will be lost and forgotten. It seems Joseph wants Pharaoh to understand the urgency of what God has shown him about the coming famine (Genesis 41:32).

As part of that, Joseph also seems led to suggest a course of action (Genesis 41:33–36). This is a brave step for Joseph, as he was not called on to give Pharaoh advice (Genesis 41:9–16). His counsel is to prepare for the famine by stockpiling grain during the years of plenty.

Genesis 41:9–36 contains Joseph's explanation of Pharaoh's visions. When Egypt's ruler is bothered by vivid dreams, his formerly jailed cupbearer remembers a young Hebrew. This is Joseph, who explained the cupbearer's dream in prison (Genesis 40:23). Joseph explains that Pharaoh's dreams point to seven years of abundance in Egypt followed by seven years of desperate famine. Joseph boldly proposes a plan to manage the coming crisis.

Joseph's status in Genesis 41 begins as "forgotten Hebrew prison slave" and ends as "the second most powerful man in Egypt." The cupbearer from the previous chapter finally mentions Joseph two years later, when Pharaoh is troubled by dreams which wise men can't interpret. Joseph reveals the meaning of the dreams: seven years of abundance will be followed by seven years of great famine in the land. Pharaoh, recognizing that God's Spirit is with Joseph, makes him second in command over the entire nation and tasks him with preparing for the famine.

Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers (Genesis 37:24–28). He then excelled in his work for an Egyptian official, only to be falsely accused and imprisoned (Genesis 39:20). There, he accurately interpreted dreams for servants of the Egyptian ruler (Genesis 40:20–22). Unfortunately, the restored cupbearer failed to mention Joseph, leaving him in prison for two more years (Genesis 40:23). A series of disturbing dreams leads to Joseph's audience with Pharaoh. This, in turn, leads to Joseph becoming the second most powerful man in the nation. The following chapters emphasize Joseph's reunion with his family. Details about his administration of food during the famine are recorded in Genesis 47:13–26.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 5/5/2024 5:18:13 AM